These brown-eyed beauties are highly vocal and will even call during the daytime.
Mike Blevins
If you’ve heard the baritone hooting of an owl that might translate in human speech as “who cooks for you – who cooks for you all,” it’s probably a Barred Owl. However, you will never hear them fly even though they have a wingspan of more than 40 inches. Not only do they move slowly through the air despite their size, special features on their wing feathers silence the usual swooshing sounds of birds in flight.
Resting on branches and in cavities by day, Barred Owls mainly hunt at sunset and through the night. They may be seen perching on an elevated limb. Some have been known to wade into areas of shallow water to catch fish and freshwater crustaceans, like crawdads.
The Barred Owl does not migrate and may only move a few miles from home throughout their lives.
Mike Blevins
Fun Facts
Eleven-thousand-year-old fossils of Barred Owls have been discovered in Tennessee, Florida and Ontario. The oldest living individual known was banded in North Carolina and later recorded at 26 years, 7 months old.
How to Identify a Barred Owl
This round-headed owl with dark eyes and no feather “ear” tufts stands about 20 inches tall – about the size of a duck. They have a rounded tail and a mottled brown and white appearance with horizontal bars on the upper breast and vertical bars on the lower under parts of their body.
Barred Owl Habitat
Dense woodlands with sporadic clearings particularly near water.
Conservation Note
Loss of swamp habitats is challenging the Barred Owls, once quite prevalent in the South. In the past century, its range has expanded to the Pacific Northwest.
ABOUT THIS SERIES:
“Birds of the Blue Ridge” showcases frequently seen and rare birds across the southern Appalachian region. For over four decades, Angela Minor has traveled with binoculars and field guides across the continental U.S., Alaska, the Caribbean and seven European countries. She is a contributing editor with BRC magazine and a freelance writer, penning travel and nature feature articles for several regional and national print publications. Angela created and authored the state park birding series for Bird Watcher’s Digest.
Read More by Angela Minor: BlueRidgeCountry.com/AngelaMinor